Poorly golden barb

[Caitlinshrew]

Hi there. My six golden barbs are around a year old and the other day I noticed one had turned very pale and was swimming towards the top away from the shoal. On closer inspection I could see his eyes were quite milky and his scales looked rough and puffed out. I put salt in and also ich treatment but i.am really unsure. Any ideas?

 

[Stan510]

Dropsy and I don't know if there is a cure for that. Use epsom salts and go with an antibiotic that says treats that problem. Plus the usual raise water temps and make partial changes of water.

 

[Essjay]

If the scales are puffed out so the fish looks like a pine cone, that's dropsy. Ich treatment will do nothing and should not be added to a tank unless ich is definitely diagnosed (fish look like salt has been sprinkled on them)


Dropsy is not a disease itself but symptom of an underlying disease and it occurs when the underlying disease has caused kidney failure. The underlying disease could be bacterial, viral or sometimes protozoan; the difficulty lies in knowing what the disease is. The disease may be infectious or it might not. I'm sorry to say that in the majority of cases, there is nothing that can be done to save the fish as by the time dropsy appears the fish is beyond help.

Can I suggest a big water change to remove the salt and ich treatment (unless of course you do have fish with ich) and keep an eye on the affected fish. Either euthanise the fish using clove oil (can be bought from pharmacies, we can give you instructions on how to use it) or leave it in the tank but remove it immediately if it dies as other fish will eat it and can be infected that way.

Unfortunately antibiotics are not an option as they need a vet's prescription in the UK, and finding a vet who will treat fish is difficult.


I'm sorry your first post has to be about a sick fish